VANS TRIPLE CROWN of SURFING

A Hawaiian is on top of the world, bringing the Triple Crown title back to Hawaii. John John Florence proved that he knows the North Shore better than anyone else as he dominated this winter season, winning the Vans World Cup at Sunset Beach, and placing high at both Haleiwa and Pipeline. John John has the potential to be a future World Title winner and definitely a Pipemaster, probably multiple times. Congrats John John!

ALL HAIL KING KE11Y !!!!!!

THE PICTURE SAYS IT ALL! THERE ARE NO WORDS THAT CAN EXPLAIN HIS DOMINANCE! HE IS THE GREATEST ATHLETE OF ALL TIME -- HE IS KING KELLY! HAIL

Thoughts on the Controversy

So, recently at the Billabong Pro Rio, there was probably the most controversial heat of the year thus far, and maybe in the past few years... at least the surfing community seems to think so as it is all I am seeing on my twitter feed and on all the surf sites. I would say that most articles seem to think Owen got robbed, while the comments that the public post seem to be fairly even.

I figured I would give my thoughts on the heat: When I was watching the heat live it was clear that Adriano's floater was over-scored and I don't think anyone is arguing about that part, in fact I predicted he would get a 7 for it (that was with considering the judges might boost it up because of the crowd and that feeling you just have inside that a surfer is gonna get a score boosted up). So clearly getting above an 8 is bad judging. However, when Owen surfed his last wave and needed the score, I felt that he didn't get the score, and overall I had this feeling that Adriano won the heat, bad judging aside.
Now this doesn't mean I am satisfied with the result and was stoked to see Adriano win, I did not like the way he celebrated the heat win--It was like he had won the event, his screaming, smacking the board etc. All for a quarter final, especially knowing that Owen was deeply upset on the beach. I know we are all tired of the claiming the Brazzo's have been doing on 6 point waves, but this was next level and I thought it showed no respect at all for Owen. I guess that is all I have to say about this, I hope Owen and Adriano meet again this year in an important heat and the waves are pumping so we can really see them perform!

P.S. claiming like a brazilian will get you a 0.5 higher wave score, this is fact lol.

Cheers
-KM



Here is a replay of the heat, what do you think??

Surfing on the Great Lakes? I think so...

Free Surf Movie? Yes Please!

Kelly Going for Number 11?

Since winning the 2011 Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast yesterday, the surf community again is talking about another world title possibility for Kelly Slater. Kelly looked solid throughout the event, taking down Taj Burrow in the final. The scariest part is that he was having fun out there and when Kelly is having fun he is most dangerous. Many believe Kelly can attain an eleventh world title, and he surely showed on the Gold Coast that he is capable. Occy stayed on tour until he was 40, so you can expect Kelly to beat that record too, just like all other records he has shattered throughout his career. Good luck Kelly, and see you all at Bells. -km

Slater and Gilmore Receive Surfing's Greatest Prize

Get Ready!

New Season is starting in 14 days and I can't be anymore stoked. This year is going to have another batch of young and talented surfers like Julian Wilson. Kelly will be returning and hopefully he stays on full time (if he wins on the gold coast this is likely), and with new technology added to the tour like the GPS speed tracking that Quiksilver has implemented for this competition, it should be an exciting year. See you on the Gold Coast:

Jordy Smith- Best Claim Ever??

This could possibly be the best claim of all time? I call it the hand clap, barrel roll, write me a check for a ten point ride. Oh yeah and Kelly's alley-oop isn't too bad..yeeew

Take us away Jordy:

Philip Andrew Irons - Forever Young

The Greatest Athlete of All Time - Kelly Slater 10x World Champ

Remember the date Saturday Nov. 6th, the day that history went down. Kelly Slater won his unprecedented 10th world title yesterday in Puerto Rico in front of thousands of fans, friends, and family. An emotional Slater dedicated the win to his friend Andy Irons, who sadly passed away the same week. Not only did Kelly win the world title, but he also went on to win the event further displaying his dominance of the sport. I will always remember where I was when I watched the greatest athlete of all time, show everyone just why he is the greatest.

Enjoy the photos and videos below, taken from quiksilver.com

Thank you Kelly for all the memories.

Andy Irons dead at 32.

It is with great sadness that I post this, Andy Irons was one of my inspirations and along with Kelly Slater, introduced me to surfing. You will be missed A.I.

It's Official: Slater is Greatest Athlete of All Time!

After winning again at the Hurley Pro Trestles, talk around the surfing community and the sports community in general was all about Kelly Slater possibly being the greatest athlete of all time... check it out!

http://www.grindtv.com/surf/blog/20591/could%20kelly%20slater%20be%20the%20best%20athlete%20ever%20no%20seriously/?sms_ss=blogger&at_xt=4ca3ee2d775823dd,0

Congrats Andy! You are back!

Teahupoo Trailer

One of the best competition trailers I have seen in a long time!

Good Old Canadian Tarp Surfing!!!

Getting Creative!

GET STOKED!!

New Peter Devries Interview!

Check out this interview with Peter Devries, hot off of winning the spring round of Innersection and recently the Rip Curl Stew at Cox Bay!!

Gabe Kling? I guess he wants back on the CT

Nike 6.0 Finals at Lower Trestles:

It was a great event, with one of the best swells to hit So Cal in a while. Tons of CT surfers entered and the surfing was very progressive, check out these highlights from the last day!

Clay Marzo - always an inspiration

I have pretty much seen every vid there is to see of Clay Marzo and his story never gets old. The kid rips so hard it is amazing to watch, and I am really happy that a huge news network picked up his story. He is an inspiration for all people, not just surfers. Check this clip out:

Hope you enjoyed that, sidenote: Jadson Andre killed it in Brazil and I am stoked that Kelly is back to #1 in the world, which is where he should be!

Updates coming on Nike 6.0 Lowers Pro--> this is one of my fav QS competitions and is full of CT surfers. You don't want to miss it..... see you at J-BAY yeeeeeeew!

One More Time!

his front foot totally comes of the board and he still sticks it! Kelly Slater can do anything!

K10 in '10???

So the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach has finished and the champ Kelly Slater has rung the bell for his 4th time! The only other person to ring the bell 4 times is the one and only Mark Richards. Kelly took down the competition while surfing with an injured foot, however he definitely was not showing any pain when he pulled off one of the most amazing aerials I have ever seen in competitive surfing. You can see all the highlights from the final above, including that insane aerial.

Is this the year that Kelly will capture an unprecedented 10th world title!? K10 in '10 is the new saying around the surfing community, and I hope it is true. Kelly truly is a legend! Current ratings top 10 are below, check it out and see you in Brazil! yew!

YEWWWW

So stoked, my fantasy surfer team is tearing bells up!

-Kelly Slater (still competing)

-Adriano DeSouza (still competing)

-Jordy Smith (still competing)

-Andy Irons

-Dane Reynolds

-Owen Wright

-Stuart Kennedy

-Adam Robertson

I am counting on kelly, adriano, or jordy to take it all the way, lets go boys! yew!

2nd Stop on Tour - Bells Beach

The longest running professional surf contest is back! The Ripcurl Pro Bells Beach will commence March 30th and depending on the waves will go until April 10th. Once again the surfers will be going right and regular footers often have the advantage here. It can get good if the waves are big but when it's small, it is a tough wave to surf. I think the most experienced surfers will rise to the top here, and my fantasy surfer team includes the likes of Taj Burrow(AUS) and Kelly Slater(USA). I am still trying to figure out my final team for Bells as there is so much talent on tour this year I am having a hard time picking 8 surfers. On a good note however I am ranked 132 in the world!! Pretty stoked about that.

Alright, see you at Bells, here is the trailer! -KM

Boost Mobile Surf Sho --EPIC

I am so stoked for the Boost Mobile Surf Sho at Bondi Beach this year! It is going to be a high flying event with some of my favourite surfers! Kelly Slater, Taj Burrow, Jordy Smith, and Owen Wright!

Who is going to win this one? It is a toss up!

Congrats Taj Three in a Row

Taj Burrow(AUS) took down Jordy Smith(ZAF) in the final at the 2010 quikky pro Gold Coast. He has won three in a row now including last seasons Billabong Pro Pipeline, Burleigh Heads WQS and now the quikky pro!

Enjoy the highlights from the final day! YEW

Surfing Is Back Quikky Pro 2010 FS Picks

So the 2010 ASP season has started and Fantasy Surfer finally got their act together. The new Fantasy Surfer website is up and running, so make your picks before round 2 of action starts!!

Here are my picks for the 2010 Quiksilver Pro presented by Land Rover:

- Kelly Slater
- Mick Fanning
- Ace Buchan
- Tom Whitaker
- Brett Simpson
- Dusty Payne
- Owen Wright
- Jeremy Flores

Fantasy Surfer grand prize is an all paid trip to the 2011 quiksilver pro!

NEW JUDGING CRITERIA

Here is the ASP's new judging criteria for 2010 and beyond. With the type of surfing being done these days, especially by the up and coming surfers, this was bound to happen at some point.

So check it out (taken from asp website):

Surfers must perform to the ASP Judging Key Elements to maximize their scoring potential.

Judges analyze the following major elements when scoring waves:

• Commitment and Degree of Difficulty
• Combination of Traditional and Modern Manoeuvres
• Innovative and Progressive Manoeuvres
• Combination of Major Manoeuvres
• Variety of Manoeuvres
• Speed, Power and Flow

Judges will utilize a 75-25% ratio being that surfers will only ever get a maximum of 75% (7.5pts) of the scale for surfing only one aspect of Modern or Traditional, up to an additional 25% ( 2.5pts ) can be added when the 2 aspects are combined. Incomplete manoeuvres will not be rewarded.

* It is important to note that the emphasis on certain elements is contingent upon the location and the conditions on the day, as well as changes of conditions during the day.

www.aspworldtour.com

Surf Stoked 2010

It is now officially the new year and I am counting down the days till the 2010 World Tour starts in February! I was stoked to see Taj burrow win the pipeline masters so congrats to him, but now it's all about looking ahead. I would be writing forever if I started to reflect back on the tour this year-- it was filled with controversy and shitty waves, but also saw better prize money and a bunch of changes that will hopefully make the tour better for everyone. Time will tell if these changes really do make the tour better.

Personally I believe that the tour WILL be better this year. I am super excited to watch the new talent that qualified for the tour, especially Owen Wright, Dusty Payne, Brett Simpson, and the San Clemente contingent: Gudang brothers (minus Dane) and Nate Yeomans! This year should be filled with some high flying manouvers. I am happy about some venue changes as well with Mundaka being taken off the tour and Portugal being added. As much as I love watching the world's best get pitted in one of the best left barrels in the world at Mundaka, the fact is that Mundaka is rarely at its best for a long enough period of time to be on the tour. Portugal on the other hand has some unreal waves at supertubos and the surrounding area, and they break more often than their basque neighbours. Despite taking portugal on as a new event, Ripcurl will still run the Ripcurl search pro which is one of my favourite events. On the WQS the O'Neill Cold Water Classic in Tofino was added again, which I am stoked about being a Canadian myself and considering Tofino is my favourite surf town!!

Things are looking up for the ASP. I hope that Kelly returns and pursues his tenth world title and hopefully we really do see "the world's best surfers and the world's best waves."

That's all for now, cheers from canada, see you on the gold coast in Feb!!!!!

-KM

Pipeline Keeps Firing and Fanning Takes World Title

Aloha, The Billabong Pipeline Masters is turning out to be a contest for the ages, with pumping waves, nail-biting heats, and of course the crowning of this year's ASP World Tour Champion. After Joel Parkinson (AUS) failed to make his third round heat earlier this morning, Mick Fanning (AUS) claimed his second world title! It was a bittersweet victory as Fanning had to take the title from his life long friend, but Parko was all class as he accepted defeat and carried the World Champ up the beach to celebrate! Despite losing the world title, Parko is still in the running for the Triple Crown. Make sure to check out all the action at www.triplecrownofsurfing.com

Eddie Would Go

Greg Long Wins the Eddie! It was an absolutely amazing day of surfing with epic waves rolling into Waimea bay. It was definitely one of the more exciting surf competitions I have ever watched and some of the waves ridden will go down in my memory forever! Take a look at the wipe outs that happened! Shaka!

The Eddie is on its way

It is very possible that the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau will run as soon as tommorow! It is a must watch, so make sure to check the event website every morning! Shaka!

http://live.quiksilver.com/2009/eddie/

Parko on Fire in Hawaii

Joel Parkinson won the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing for his THIRD time this Sunday, taking down Sunny Garcia (HAW), Mick Fanning (AUS), and Dusty Payne (HAW) in the final. Garcia was leading the majority of the heat when he caught an early barrel, but lost the lead to Parko when he couldn't find a solid back up wave.

The O'Neill World Cup of surfing saw two new additions added to next year's WCT. Tanner Gudauskas(USA) and Dusty Payne(HAW) both qualified for the dream tour next year, after progressing far through the competition. Congrats to both of them, it is going to be an exciting year...

See you at Pipeline!

Sunset

Joel Takes Reef Hawaiian Pro, and His Last Name Isn't Parkinson!

Joel Centeio, the local boy straight from Haleiwa won the prestigious Reef Hawaiian Pro earlier this week, taking down CJ hobgood (USA), Jay Thompson (AUS), and Alain Riou (PYF) in the final. He takes home $20,000 and a lot of points to help him on his campaign for the Triple Crown! The beach was packed as local fans cheered Joel on to victory. It's always refreshing to see a different Joel win an event whose nickname isn't Parko! See you all at Sunset Beach! shaka!

It's That Time of Year Again!

Time to book your flight to the north shore to catch the best waves of winter and to watch some of the best contests on the planet!

First stop: off to Haleiwa!

Ratings Possibilities Going into Hawaii

Here are the many world tour ratings possibilities taken from the ASP World Tour website, with only the Pipeline Masters left:


For the World Title race we have only two contenders remaining after the completion of the Rip Curl Pro Search at Peniche, Portugal.

Mick Fanning is currently in the lead with 7140 points and Joel Parkinson is sitting in second place with 6772 points.

Between the two surfers, these are the possible World Title scenarios:

• If Mick Fanning finishes 33rd to 9th, Joel Parkinson will need a 3rd or better to win the World Title;
• If Mick finishes 5th, Joel will need a 2nd or better;
• If Mick finishes 3rd, Joel will need to win the Billabong Pipeline Masters;
• If Mick finishes 2nd he will clinch the ASP World Title even if Joel wins the last event.

(Taken From ASP World Tour website www.aspworldtour.com)

Canadian Pete Devries Wins CWC Tofino!!!!!!!!!!

Local Tofino surfer and soon to be Canadian surfing hero Peter Devries took down world tour surfer Jay Thompson (AUS) to win the Oneill Coldwater Classic! On his way to victory, Devries defeated some big names in surfing including Cory Lopez (USA), Glenn Hall (IRE), and Joan Duru (FRA). It was amazing to see the Canadian flag being raised for the first time in an ASP surfing event! A huge crowd came out to watch and celebrate with Pete as he proved that not only is there good surf in Canada, but also that Canadians can rip!

Thank you Peter Devries for everything you have done for Canadian surfing! yew!

CONGRATS MICK! TITLE IS IN YOUR HANDS NOW!

IT'S TIME CANADA!

The O'neill Cold Water Classic has arrived in Tofino! Being that it is nearing the end of the season and that this event is a 6 star, all the best names on the WQS are surfing in this comp, to gain valuable points on their campaign of moving up the standings and hopefully qualifying for the WCT.

Local Canadians will also be surfing like Noah Cohen, Peter Devries, and the Bruhwiler's, so definitely keep an eye out for them, they rip! You can check out all the action starting tommorow at www.oneill.com/cwc/canada

See you in Tofino!

RIPCURL TOW IN SESSION

Pretty sweet tow-in sess, with mick and knox. Huge swell hit portugal with waves peaking at 20ft! enjoy!

CHECK IT!

SUPERTUBOS

Check out the venue for the upcoming rip curl pro search in Portugal!

Brazilian Hero Adriano De Souza Takes Mundaka!!

Congrats Adriano! The World Title race has gotten even closer! Portugal is a must watch event now that the season is nearing the end. Let's hope supertubes is firing. See you in Portugal! Yew!

Hoping for barrels in Spain!

The Billabong Pro Mundaka is closely approaching and this year I am praying that there will be those long and hollow barrels we all imagine when we think about this place!!! Let's face it, France was nothing like the amazing beach break everyone was hoping for, and if Mundaka doesn't barrel throughout this competition, then everyone will be dissapointed. Billabong always puts on a good competition and if the swell and sand bar behave properly then this will be one show you cannot miss. When Mundaka is on, it is one of the best left hand sand bar waves in the world... lets hope its on! shaka!

Mick Fanning - Back to Back Wins!

It is official: Mick Fanning has won the Quiksilver Pro France just days after winning the Hurley Pro in California. After many said the title race was over, that is no longer the case! Joel Parkinson is only a mere 146 points ahead heading into Spain! The title race is on and I couldn't be more excited. No more of this 'champ being crowned in Spain' business, this is going to be an exciting year and it is very possible that a Champion will be crowned at Pipe!! There are still a bunch of surfers in contention, so keep watching the European leg of the tour because there will be no shortage of excitement! Shaka!

Quikky Pro France

There is so much surfing around this time of year, it is getting hard to keep up. I am still smiling over my fantasy surfer results from trestles, and yet trying to keep up with the time difference in France. This years Quiksilver pro France is looking to be a mediocre one, with average waves and a recent report that the swell is not going to get any better! Hopefully this video will add some excitement and remind us of how exciting France can get when there are barrels. Shaka.

CONGRATS MICK!

Mick Fanning is the winner of the 2009 Hurley Pro at Lower Trestles and also the winner of the lagest prize money awarded at any event in surfing! Enjoy the $105,000 Mick, u deserve it! ...special shoutout to Dane Reynolds who displayed some phenominal surfing and pulled off some of the best airs and definitely the best carve of the contest! yew!

FANTASY SURFER PICKS FOR TRESTLES!

Here are my picks for the Hurley Pro Lower Trestles... I am feeling good about these ones!

1- Kelly Slater (10,000,000)
2-Mick Fanning (10,750,000)
3-Taylor Knox (7,000,000)
4-Jordy Smith (6,500,000)
5-Dane Reynolds (5,500,000)
6- Kekoa Bacalso(4,000,000)
7-Rob Machado (1,500,000)
8-Brett Simpson(1,500,000)

More Preparation for Trestles!